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Of the four Halls of Fame comprising the “Big Four” of the North American sports, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is the one that is the hardest for many casual fans to figure out.

Established in 1959, though there was no physical building for a decade, the Basketball Hall of Fame would take root in Springfield, Massachusetts. While the popularity of Basketball has skyrocketed over the past 20 years, the Hall of Fame has not grown nearly at the same pace.Why is that?

It is because the very thing that was designed to make it special is what makes it convoluted.

The Baseball Hall of Fame, with the primary exception of the Negro Leagues, focuses only on those who participated in Major League Baseball.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame only looks at the National Football League.

The Hockey Hall of Fame doe look at International contributions but with the exception of two players who played their career in the Soviet Red Army, all players had at one time plied their trade in the National Hockey League.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame looks at everything. This includes College, International, Women and in some cases High School.

Every year, there are finalists where even the most devote basketball fans are trying to figure out who those people are, and when that happens, the cache value of the Hall naturally shrinks.

For our purposes, we will only look at those who were in the National Basketball Association as let’s face it…that is what most of us care about the most!

Charlie Scott was one of those players that nobody seems to remember how good he really was. A great scorer in both the ABA and NBA, Scott was also a key member of the 1976 Celtics who won the championship. Scott could do it all; a great ball handler (4.9 assists per game for his career) and solid defender, Scott is best remembered as one of the first big guards in league history. At 6…

Larry Nance was a very solid forward in the NBA who is most known for winning the first All-Star game slam dunk competition in a huge upset. At 6 foot 11, Nance was a player that could flat get up in the air, but he was much more than just a dunker.

Here is another player more known for his college accomplishments than his pro years. Larry Johnson was the leader of the Runnin Rebels that dominated the first few years of the 90’s. An NCAA title in 1990 was followed by an undefeated year that was trumped by a huge upset by Duke in the Final Four. Johnson was arguably the greatest junior college player ever and when Jerry Tarkanian recruited him to UNLV he became the…

One of the longest lasting and most consistent power forwards of the 80's and 90's, Thorpe was a power player all the way. He ran the court well and finished with emphasis with huge left handed monster jams, but he made his living banging in the paint. A solid scorer, a terrific rebounder and one of the best low post defenders in the game, Thorpe almost defined the power forward position in his day. More…

The winner of the NBA Three Point Shootout, a three time European Player of the Year and a three time All Star, Peja Stojakovic was part of a talented Sacramento Kings roster that was a badly officiated game from the NBA Finals. The Serbian star was an amazing shooter and was deadly from behind the arc or at the charity stripe. He was also a major force in International play and anchored the Yugoslavs to…

A popular player and a stealing machine, Eddie Jones was a very good Shooting Guard who strung together solid seasons in the late 90’s for the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets. Jones was just adept at steals, but was also a dangerous threat from behind the arc. He would three times be named to the Second Team Defensive squad along with three All Star Games. We are sure many who were fans of Eddie…

Alvin Robertson may be the best perimeter defender to ever play the game of basketball. Michael Jordan certainly thought so. Robertson still leads the league in most steals per game, and is one of a handful of backcourt players to win Defensive Player of the Year. A four time All-Star, Robertson wasn’t only about defense as almost 11,000 points can attest. He was a complete player who averaged 14 points and both 5 assists and…

A former number one overall draft pick after being the NCAA player of the year, Elton Brand would go to two All Star Games and enjoy a long career in the National Basketball Association. Brand would share Rookie of the Year honors with Steve Francis and would be known for his attention to the glass by leading the NBA in offensive rebounds twice. Brand was also a good scorer, as he would six times exceed…

Bridges was an undersized power forward who had a long lasting career in the NBA due to his abilities to play defense and especially to rebound. Currently in the top 30 in all time rebounds in league history, Bridges made 3 all-star teams and averaged 11.9 points and rebounds throughout a very consistent career. He won his only title in 1975 with the Warriors and then did something that not many have had a chance…

Brad Daugherty was an All-American at North Carolina and the number one overall pick of the 1986 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers just ahead of Len Bias. Along with fellow rookies John Hot Rod Williams, Mark Price and Ron Harper, Daugherty ushered in the highest competitive run in Cavalier history. The Cavs were title contenders in the Eastern Conference for the next decade and if it wasn’t for the great Bulls teams, they may have…

A two time All Star, Jerry Stackhouse was dubbed the “Next Jordan” (he also came out of UNC) though that was a label that nobody could ever live up to. Still, Stackhouse proved to be a very good scorer in the NBA who averaged 19.5 Points per Game in the NBA including the 2000/01 Season where he finished second in that category, though he did actually lead the NBA in Points Scored.

The Cal Ripken of basketball with 1192 consecutive games played, A.C. Green’s hopes of enshrinement rely on amazing consistency and ability to do whatever it takes for the good of the team. A star out of college winning PAC-10 player of the year at Oregon State, Green came to the Lakers and immediately developed a role as the power forward who would bang down low, grab boards, and show up for work every day. 12,000…

Glenn Robinson is a player whose college career seemingly eclipsed his professional career; but if it did, it isn’t by much. Robinson was the Player of the Year for Purdue in 1994 after leading the Big Ten in scoring and rebounding and taking the Boilermakers to an Elite 8. Professionally, Robinson had to go to San Antonio late in his career to get that coveted championship as a role player, but lest we forget Robinson…

A highly recruited player out of high school, Rashard Lewis was a successful forward who would forego university and go right to the pros. Lewis would prove to be a sweet shooter from behind the arc and would lead the NBA in three point field goals made in the 2008-09 season. The two time All Star would earn a championship ring with the Miami Heat as a role player and retired with a respectable 14.9…

One of the best shooters ever, Otis Birdsong could flat out score. A great scorer at the University of Houston, Birdsong became one of the great shooting guards in the NBA in the early 1980’s with both the Kings and the Nets averaging 18 points a game for his career. Being a four time All-Star helps his case but low career totals (just over 12,000 points) hurts.

Once again, we have another player who had a solid pro career that is overshadowed by a spectacular college career. Hersey Hawkins is only one of six players to score more than 6,000 career points in Division One. Hawkins and Chet Walker are easily the two best players ever to come from Bradley University; and the Braves are one of the best programs ever that nobody remembers. This might be hurting him. He may be…

Quick Question: Who was the 1981 NBA finals series MVP for the Boston Celtics? It wasn’t Larry Bird; it was none other than Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell. Maxwell was one of the most underrated players ever, who is known more for his nickname than anything, but he should be remembered as a great power forward with super low post moves; and he was a consistent winner. He led little UNC Charlotte to the Final Four in…

Jeff Hornacek was a late second round pick out of Iowa State where he had played point guard. His ability to pass was often overlooked later in his career as he is currently in the top fifty in career assists. One of the great shooters in the history of the league, Hornacek was a great third scoring option on two different title contenders. Best known for his play with the Jazz when they challenged the…

Regarded mostly as a Defensive specialist in his career, Marcus Camby won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and was chosen for four NBA All Defensive Teams (two First Team and two Second Team) and would also lead the NBA in Blocks per Game four times. Camby would average 9.8 Rebounds per Game and still show some offensive acumen with a respectable 9.5 Points per Game. Considering that Camby has never been…

A very solid player throughout his career, Michael Finley was capable of brilliant flashes of offense in the open court, and a stronger commitment to defense in his later campaigns. In his prime, Finley was a two time All Star and an electric player to watch. He was a workhorse on good Dallas Maverick teams (three times he led the NBA in minutes played) and was part of the ‘Run and Gun’ that they executed…